Gilly

@Mudhen I shall look forward to sailing along virtually with you lucky ducks, for we too had a Grandeur cruise to look forward to in February...until we had the news that our first Grandchild plans to arrive around then and guess what? Suddenly a cruise on Grandeur became less important 😉 So we'll sail on Voyager in late April instead and be with you in spirit!!

@bookbabe I apologise for sounding a little curt there! It's interesting that Viking include a different "flavour" of entertainment, I agree.

Oh, the entertainment isn't *that* important to us and we wouldn't give up everything else we love about Regent. It's a preference rather than a requirement.

Personally, I think we would have done the same. A bird in the hand is worth...quite a lot!!

I understand. We have hoped for more classical music, but then on the odd occasion when there's a pianist or similar, people sit chatting throughout - so that doesn't really work. (Maybe in one of the smaller venues?) Songs from the shows are a bit hit and miss...and comedians even more so. If I'm honest, I'm just glad I don't have the task of booking entertainers!

That's the one! Isn't he great? We thought it might possibly have been the first time someone strutted around a Regent stage wearing a Union flag 😉 But yes, he hit the spot with our crowd on Voyager too.

On Voyager this time last year, there was a Freddie Mercury tribute act who had the crowd in the palm of his hand for a couple of evenings. A bit different, but I'm not sure how well Queen's music goes down with an international audience?

For those of you who haven't heard them, or for those who'd like a reminder of the joy, try this... Santiago de Compostela Apr 22.m4a

@Zqueeze1 we are most certainly not fit enough to walk the Camino but enjoyed a wonderful week or so in Galicia and Asturias last Spring and can recommend it as a region to explore in a car. The roads are good, the Autovia Cantabrico is a fast motorway connecting the whole area and it's easy to fill the days in small towns, charming villages and taking in that stunning coastline, fuelled by fabulous food and the occasional drink 😉 Highly recommend (and yes, it's all on my blog!) We loved chatting to those walking the Camino in the evening and met some fascinating people from all over the world.

It is indeed, though the playing of Catalan bagpipes under the window for maybe 18 or 20 hours a day can get a little wearisome!! (Understatement 😉)

Our Splendor experience during July and August was really great but if there was a weak spot, it was the Destinations department and we noted this in our end of cruise feedback. What bothered us wasn't so much the incorrect information we were given on more than one occasion (identical tour descriptions were shown for three tours each of which was in a different location - which means at least two of them were going to be wrong) and on another occasion, a letter offering advice was sent to us "and others travelling on to Barcelona" (Errmmm....we thought we were sailing to Greenland?) As @pappy1022 notes, mistakes, typos and oversights happen but it's in the resolution where the quality of the service really shows - and quite honestly, on every occasion we followed errors like this through, shoulders were shrugged and it was I who felt in the wrong for seeking reassurance or the corrected information. We felt they simply didn't care - and that is so very much out of the ordinary for Regent, that it was noticeable and worthy of mention. An apology or some gesture of concern would have cost nothing but would have gone a long way to placating confused and irritated guests but a grumpy and v-e-r-y slow correction of the tour information ("Would you like me to print it out for you?" *sigh*) was all that was offered. Thank you for sharing your tour of our islands, @pappy1022 Do come again!

That would be along the runway we walked across I guess? 😅 (we waited till the traffic light was green of course!)

A shame if you miss Dutch Harbor, in particular the excellent local museum there. Sure, there isn't a great deal to see in the town but what there is, we found fascinating.

"Now Then" is a greeting from Yorkshire, for me, it's always associated with my Dad, who used it long before the awful JS guy!

We were on board Splendor in Greenland, during August, when several people had "cold symptoms". General consensus was that it was exactly that and having heard a few express the wish that they had thought to bring simple cold/flu medication with them (because such things are surprisingly difficult to obtain at reasonable cost whilst on board) I left a little note in the roll call for the cruise following ours. We never thought it was anything more than that and saw/heard nothing more suspicious or alarming. It's hard to work out what more "they" can do about such things, beyond the general, everyday advice to maintain sensible hygiene - wash hands frequently and to be responsible and stay out of public areas when feeling poorly. Whatever the reason, the general advice is the same.

Our experience of the Miami MO is proof that not all MOs are created equal! We received a credit for two of our three nights there 🙄

@RachelG Cincinnati is a relatively new destination for BA from LHR but it sounds like it was a timely introduction for you! Here's hoping all goes smoothly from here onwards.🫰

@forgap Bravo for finding Kingly Court!! A shame you're missing Bath and the Cotswolds on a beautifully fresh and sunny morning, but I agree, it's a bit of a stretch for a "day out"! Never mind, come and see us next time 🙂

Yes please!! I'm with you all the way, wearing my mask, washing my hands and on best behaviour (of course!) Please say hello to Billy and Jesus in CR and just wait till Ikon starts to sing 🥰

@lprp it's interesting you note the low stock levels in the shop, for it seemed pathetically low (and uninteresting) when we were on board some weeks ago. It appears that some skincare brands are being discontinued (Clarins was always my go-to means of spending those last on board $$$) but it was the collection of second hand bags that I found most surprising! What a weird thing to sell 🙄

Oh my word, I have nothing to add to this amazing catalogue of disasters, but credit you all with such good spirit in the face of adversity!

Recently we've come across a brand of non-alcoholic spirits which were very impressive when tasted in a non-alcoholic drinks pairing by the driver in our party. This is their uk website, but they have surely got other international outlets. https://lyres.co.uk/ Anyone else come across them?

I agree, @boblerm Perlan is the perfect place for that last morning/afternoon and I'm delighted that it wasn't busy when you were there. The Northern Lights show was one of the reasons why our visit wasn't so successful. We were advised to do that first...supposedly it was about to begin when we arrived, but actually it wasn't and we wasted half an hour standing in line with masses of others waiting. Of course, that also meant that a couple of hundred people turned out of the theatre at the same time to visit ice cave, glacier exhibition and so on...not the best strategy. Never mind! It was a sparkling morning and the views were great, so the fresh outdoor air was welcome on a day when we were going to have little opportunity breathe much of it. I take it you're now home safely? Here's to the next cruise, eh? (and hopefully, not too long to wait!)

Those who have experienced the new maze of tunnels in Istanbul's Galataport might find this article interesting. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/02/love-boat-cruise-ships-turkey-istanbul-galataport

@boblerm so sorry "our" cruise has ended in such a way! One always hopes (trusts) that arrangements will all have been put in place to ensure a smooth journey but it appears that some steps were forgotten about in this instance. Most importantly, did The Hot Dog live up to expectations?!